Ministry Blueprints is all about hospitality, welcome and belonging. We teach, train, coach, and equip ministry leaders and volunteers to transform their faith communities into places of radical welcome. On Thursday, October 15th at 11am CT, we will talk about relationships and how during this time of pandemic our efforts of reaching out, connecting, and engaging is more important than ever.
The thing that launched Ministry Blueprints was seeing the need for welcome, hospitality, and engagement in faith communities. Too often churches had mission or vision statements that included the words all are welcome or everyone is welcome, yet the experience of members or visitors was nowhere near that.
This week has been rough - just gonna say it. It’s taken its toll on us all. Where I live there has been a surge in Covid cases and we are back to the beginning with closures, testing, hospitals at capacity, and for that matter - people at capacity. I had a chance to talk with youth ministers in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis last week. They are valiantly finding creative ways to stay connected, reach in where they can with youth and families and try new things. One thing I heard is that relationships are key. If those can be nurtured and supported during this year - they will have done the most and the best.
People are longing for connection right now. We are really missing friends, gatherings, family get-togethers, seeing our aging friends, neighbors, and relatives and just things we do that feed our souls. For some of us that is music, concerts, movies, theatre, sports and games, and shopping trips or weekends away. We have an acute sense of missing something in our souls right now - and that is where hospitality can reach in. Here are ten ideas to connect this week:
While getting coffee this week with a friend we ran into another friend from church. She works in the school district and when asked how things were with the start up of school she teared up and shared everything - her worry, stress, fear, frustration and anxiety. She also said the family dinner was in her bag and she needed to run home and cook. We were left with a lot of feelings, one of them being surprise - she rarely says a negative word or vents. That's when I knew it was serious.
The church in this picture is the parish I grew up in - St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. My dad was transferred a few times before we landed in this place, and I was really small. It's the place where I was raised, not just by my parents, but by the community.
